The Hindu Business Line : Meet to discuss making anti-AIDS drugs affordable

THE high price of anti-AIDS or anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs for the Indian market is a cause for concern, especially with India having 5.1 million HIV/AIDS positive people.

Taking a cue from the Clinton Foundation, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will meet generic pharmaceutical companies in January to discuss mechanisms to bring down the prices and make the drugs accessible to the people suffering from the disease.

Speaking to Business Line, Dr Sai Subhashree Raghavan, Founder and Executive Trustee of SAATHII, a Chennai-based NGO, said that drugs are currently available to the Government and even the Clinton Foundation at $140-$170 (Rs 6,300-Rs 7,600) per patient per annum.

"But others are not able to purchase ARVs at the same prices and the rates are as much as $240-300 (Rs 10,800-Rs 13,500) per patient per annum. Hence, we want to initiate discussions with generic companies to find out ways to bring down the prices. For this, changes in the tax structure for ARVs may also be required," she said.

The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), which is spearheading the Government's AIDS initiative, had earlier approached the Finance Ministry to bring down the excise duty and other State-level taxes levied on raw materials used to manufacture the bulk drugs for AIDS treatment. However, bulk drugs for ARVs are exempt from excise duty. But the request to the Finance Ministry did not yield any changes, as the Government felt that there were multiple uses for the raw materials used to manufacture these drugs.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has decided to start the procurement of the ARVs on its own and not through the World Health Organisation (WHO). For almost a year, the WHO had been the procurement agency, as the Government was unable to negotiate low prices with the pharma companies.

"But after a review meeting, it has been decided that the Hospital Structures Construction Corporation (HSCC), which procures medicines for the Government-owned hospitals, will be asked to procure the ARVs as well," said Ministry sources.

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